The Fierce, the Daring and the Playful

The Felons’ characters continue to emerge. The most noticeable aspect is that Bisto is the more daring one, while Oleo is the – slightly – more cuddly one. Bisto will take chances that his brother won’t, at least not until he observes Bisto try it first. In the library, Bisto climbed the back of the couch and up onto the shelves of the bookcases. In the bedroom, he made it to the top of the saddle-seated cat-tree. And then there was this.

A leap of more than three feet to the bed from the taller cat-tree, made while I watched and attempted to talk him out of it.

A friend generously gave us a floppy fish – a soft, ‘kicker’ toy that moves on its own. The kittens didn’t know what to make of it, though Bisto approached it and eventually started whapping it repeatedly. Oleo may be seen viewing the strange creature from the edge of the bed.

Bisto is rather more confident in playing with me, though he enjoys his quiet times, too. His brother, however, is slightly more ready to lie still for affection. Oleo has a very loud purr, and it starts easily. It can be heard across the room. Bisto’s is much quieter, but is certainly used. They were both purring when I came into the bathroom this morning and found them like this. Note the bar of soap on the tub’s floor; not where I had left it.

When it comes to playing with each other, the brothers are equals, fighting and wrestling with similar strength and assertiveness. I wonder, though, if one would immediately submit if the fight were for real.

Something I have noticed while watching the Felons play is that their pretend-brawls may be enactments of instinctive hunting or fighting methods. Both of them will go principally for the under rear side of his opponent, the soft under-belly, the genital region, damage to which in real life would incapacitate prey or a rival. They also latch on to each other’s throat, and grab at the lower rear legs, as if attempting to hamstring an enemy. It shows me that, if protected by their mother or father, it would take young predators in the wild little time to become efficient in survival. Unfortunately, the wilderness that mankind has created, and in which too many cats, old and young, are dumped, is not what nature equipped them for, and many perish.

But Oleo and Bisto are thriving. They are now over a kilogram (2.2 pounds) each in weight. Three weeks ago, they were half as heavy. They are eating hard-food now, brittle little kitten-size kernels that are crunched up easily by hard and sharp little teeth. Their diet remains mostly soft-food, supplemented by liquid kitten milk-replacement poured over it. Every day the Felons grow and change; soon they will make their first veterinary visit, and then these fierce little pretend-killers, these real snugglers, will be ready for their permanent family.